Bans and taxes on 100% recyclable, America-made plastic bags are misguided—they weigh down the economy, increase costs and inconvenience consumers.

It’s time for a common-sense plastic bag policy that’s good for the economy, the environment and working families. Recycling is the best solution for the environment, supports the U.S. economy, and is safer and more convenient for consumers.

RECYCLING100% recyclable plastic bags are better for the environment than the alternatives.

A better solution to bag bans or taxes is recycling

In 2010, nearly 900 million pounds of post-consumer plastic bags, sacks and wraps were recycled. Recycled bags can be manufactured into playgrounds, decking and new bags.

Consumers can bring their 100% recyclable plastic bags and wraps to participating stores and drop them into plastic bag recycling bins. From there, the bags and wraps are picked up for recycling.

According to the EPA, the recycling rate of polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps in 2010 was 14.7%, a 23.8% increase from the rate in 2009. Recycling of polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps has now grown in 9 out of the last 10 years.[i]

The production of plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make paper bags.[viii]

A bag ban won’t reduce plastics in landfills or Puget Sound; NOAA has stated that it is unable to find studies to support many of the statements that assert plastic bags cause harm to marine wildlife and that many quotes about plastic marine debris are false, unproven or exaggerated.[ix]

JOBSProposals to ban or tax plastic bags amount to an attack on green American manufacturers and threaten the livelihood of tens of thousands of working families.

A tax on grocery bags hurts America’s working class and kills jobs

More than 30,000 American families across the nation depend on plastic bag and film recycling for jobs, both in the private and public sectors.

At a time of record unemployment, American plastic bag manufacturers continued to create jobs with benefits and invest in green technologies that revolutionized the plastic recycling industry.

Bag bans or taxes would drive consumers to reusable bags, which have been found to contain lead[xii] and bacteria

Hundreds of millions of reusable bags are imported from China[xiii] and other countries each year. While many reusable bags are safe, many have also been found to contain dangerous levels of lead.[xiv]

The lead, usually found on the inside of reusable bags, can rub off onto food, permitting families to ingest the harmful substance.[xv]

Lead can cause irreversible damage to the nervous systems and major organs. It inhibits the body’s ability to regulate vitamin D, form red blood cells properly, and can cause seizures, coma and death. Children can suffer from developmental delay, lower IQ, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, impaired hearing and stunted growth.[xvi]

As a result of these findings, many, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) are calling for a federal investigation into reusable bags.[xvii]

A study by the University of Arizona found that half of all reusable bags contained food-borne bacteria, like salmonella. Twelve percent contained E. coli, indicating the presence of fecal matter and other pathogens. [xviii]

Harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella and fecal coliform thrive in reusable bags unless they are cleaned properly after each use with hot, 140-degree temperature soapy water.[xix]

A Canadian study found bacteria build-up on reusable bags was 300 percent higher than what is considered safe.[xx]

Storing these bags in a hot trunk – which many people do so they don’t forget them at home – causes the bacteria to grow 10 times faster.[xxi]

Reusable bags also contain environmental drawbacks

In addition to not being recyclable (as plastic bags are), a recent study by the U.K. government found that a standard reusable cotton grocery bag must be reused 131 times “to ensure that they have lower global warming potential than” a single use of a plastic bag.[xxii]

ECONOMYMisguided bans on plastic bags would weigh down the economy, increase costs and inconvenience consumers.

American families are already struggling to pay for food

According to the USDA, in 2009, 50.2 million Americans, including 33 million adults and 17.2 million children, did not know where their next meal would come from.[xxiii]

The National Meals on Wheels program reported that hunger among seniors increased by one million between 2001-2007, with six million facing the threat of hunger [xxvi]

Each day, 31 million school children rely on the National Free Lunch Program for reduced or free school lunches.[xxvii]

Food prices are skyrocketing[xxiv], making now the worst time to be raising grocery bills with an extra tax.

A growing number of Americans rely on government assistance for food – some 42,389,619 Americans received food stamps in 2010, up 17 percent from the year before.[xxv]

Taxes haven’t worked in other places, and don’t reduce litter

Studies show that taxes and bans don’t keep plastic litter out of the landfill. Without plastic grocery bags, people just purchase replacement bags—often made of thicker, heavier plastic—and then send those bags to the landfill, too.[xxviii]

A study by the Northwest Economic Policy Seminar concluded that a bag tax proposed in Seattle would do little to reduce landfill deposits.[xxix]

A tax would make no difference in litter reduction since plastic bags only make up a tiny fraction (less than 0.5 percent) of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.[xxx]

According to “Clean Up Australia’s 2011 Rubbish Report,” the percentage of plastic bags in their litter audit of South Australia climbed from 4% in 2010 to 12% in 2011, despite a South Australia ban on plastic bags in 2009. The report found that with a ban on plastic checkout bags, consumers used and discarded “reusable, heavier-gauge bags that are designed to be kept and used again and again.”[xxxi]

In regards to a ban on plastic bags enacted in October 2010 along North Carolina’s Outer Banks area, The North Carolina Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report for FY 2010-2011 reported that “a correlation between the law and the number of bags collected is not apparent.”[xxxii]

Plastic bags are the most convenient option at checkout

Plastic bags were invented by Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin in the 1960s.[xxxiii]

Their original purpose was to provide single, strong, high load carrying capacity for users.

Plastic grocery bags can be made to hold up to 25 pounds of groceries.[xxxiv]